Barcelona eyeing Aymeric Laporte as Jules Kounde alternative

Barcelona will reportedly turn towards Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte if they fail to secure the services of Jules Kounde.

According to a report by Spanish outlet Fichajes, Aymeric Laporte will become Barcelona’s priority target if they fail to sign Jules Kounde in the summer transfer window. But Manchester City will unlikely sanction the sale of the 28-year-old defender.

Aymeric Laporte joined Manchester City from Athletic Club in January 2018 and has endured a topsy turvy ride at the Etihad since then. While the Spanish international has been one of the best defenders in the Premier League in the last four and a half years, he has not always been the undisputed first-choice centre-back for Pep Guardiola.

The 28-year-old has turned out 153 times thus far for Manchester City, chipping in with 12 goals and three assists. Laporte’s exploits have helped him become a mainstay at the back for the Spanish national side while emerging as a target for several European bigwigs, including Barcelona.

The Catalan giants have already bolstered their defensive department by signing former Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen in a Bosman move. But with Gerard Pique approaching the end of his illustrious career and Samuel Umtiti and Oscar Mingueza not featuring in Xavi Hernandez’s plans, Barcelona will need to sign another central defender.

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To that end, Jules Kounde is Barcelona’s priority target, with the Blaugrana hatching different plans to secure the services of the Frenchman. But the Catalan giants face several stumbling blocks while pursuing the 23-year-old centre-back, with recent reports claiming that Sevilla and Chelsea have agreed to a £55 million deal for his transfer.

Barcelona will thus need to identify alternatives for Kounde, with Laporte emerging as a viable target. The Spanish international will also fill the requirement of a left-footed centre-back in the squad, as Clement Lenglet has joined Tottenham Hotspur, and Umtiti could soon depart from Camp Nou.

But with the 28-year-old a pivotal figure in Pep Guardiola’s squad, it is unlikely that Manchester City will sanction his departure in the summer transfer window. It will be interesting to see if Barcelona can prise Laporte away from the Etihad or if they will turn towards another alternative for Kounde.